Lekhpals to get smartphones, laptops for quick disbursal of Pradhanmantri Fasal Bima Yojana benefits

BAREILLY: Aiming to provide benefits under Pradhanmantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) to farmers quickly, the government is all set to issue smartphones and laptops to the lekhpals in the state. While the expenditure on smartphones will be borne by the state and the Centre in the 50:50 ratio, the state government has sanctioned Rs 20 crore for the laptops.
According to district magistrate Pankaj Yadav, Uttar Pradesh principal secretary Arvind Kumar had said that for effective implementation of PMFBY, a monitoring committee would be set up headed by the DM.“The state government has instructed the monitoring committee to hold meetings on regular intervals. The bank branches concerned have been asked to send error-free declaration certificates regarding the premium collection from the insured farmers. The government has also directed that verification of the premium collection data be made within 15 days of receiving the declaration certificates to ensure that the benefit of the insurance scheme could be availed by all insured farmers,” said DM Pankaj Yadav.
The state government also directed the district administration to ensure that at least 5% of such farmers, who are not debt-ridden, are covered under PMFBY.
In his letter to the DM, the principal secretary stated, “For better execution of PMFBY, all the lekhpals of the revenue department will be provided smartphones. They will also be given laptops for qualitative and time-bound completion of work in electronic form. For distributing laptops to lekhpals, a budget of Rs 20 crore has been sanctioned. The state revenue board will purchase the smartphones after consulting the agriculture department. The expenditure on smartphones will be borne by the state government and the Centre equally.”
According to revenue department sources, 527 lekhpals work in the district, while over 30,000 in 75 districts across the state.